2014 Summer Edition
General Mattis served as commander, U.S. Central
Command
(USCENTCOM), located in Tampa, Florida,
and previously
had commanded at multiple levels. As a
lieutenant,
he
served
as a rifle and weapons platoon
commander
in
the
3rd
Marine Division. As a captain, he
commanded
a
rifle
company
and a weapons company in
the 1st Marine
Brigade.
As
a
major, he commanded
Recruiting Station Portland. As a lieutenant colonel, he
commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force
Ripper's assault battalions in Operations Desert Shield
and Desert Storm. As a colonel, he commanded 7th
Marines (Reinforced). Following his promotion to
brigadier general, he commanded first the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Brigade and then Task Force 58, during
Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. As
Operation
a major general, he commanded the 1st Marine Division
initial attack and subsequent stability
during the
in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In his
operations
first tour as a lieutenant general, he commanded the
Marine Corps
Combat Development Command and
served as the deputy commandant for combat
development.
He also commanded the I Marine
Expeditionary
Force and served as the commander of U.S.
Marine Forces
Central Command. Previous to this
assignment,
he
served as both NATO’s Supreme Allied
Commander Transformation
from 2007-2009 and as
commander, U.S. Joint
Forces Command
from 2007-2010.
Gen. Mattis, a native
of the Pacific
Northwest,
graduated from
Central Washington
State University in 1972.
He is also a graduate of the
Amphibious Warfare School,
Marine Corps
Command and Staff College, and the
National War College. The Naval Order will be proud to
Distinguished Sea Service Award upon General
confer our
fall.
Mattis this
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
General James Mattis, USMC (Ret.)
to receive the
Distinguished Sea
Service Award
Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, has
Order to receive the 2014
been selected by the Naval
Distinguished Sea Service Award at the Annual Naval
Order Congress in Newport, Rhode Island, on
1 November 2014.
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
COMMANDER GENERAL’S REPORT
DEWEY AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
Commander General
Report to the Order
In this issue of the newsletter
we are featuring an article about
General James N. Mattis,
USMC, (Retired) as our 2014
recipient of the Distinguished
Sea Service Award. It is also
exciting that we have
announced that former
Secretary of the Navy John F.
Lehman, Jr., has been selected
to receive the Admiral of the
Navy George Dewey Award.
A feature article on Secretary
Lehman will appear in the Fall Issue of our newsletter.
Last Congress’s recipient of the Admiral of the Navy Dewey
Award, Dr. Jack London, has provided us an article in this issue
about Captain Samuel Nicholson and the USS Constitution which I
am sure you will enjoy. You also will find information that Dr.
London provided us for this issue about project CAUSE
(Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services) which has served
thousands of wounded warriors across America and Germany.
Carrying out the Strategic Plan that I announced last fall, Vice
Commander General for Communications FLTCM, Pres
Weaver, and his team continue to address our media
requirements and you all will be receiving his survey on what you
would like to see changed. In the meantime, we continue to
update the Order’s website and always welcome your suggestions
for improvement. While I am addressing the Strategic Plan, please
do not forget that its very first objective is to grow and broaden the
membership of the Naval Order by pro-active recruitment of new
members by each and every Companion. See Companion Don
Former Commander General Captain Jim Brooke and I
participated in the 80th annual presentation of Naval Order
awards to academically top-performing midshipmen in the U.S.
Naval Academy’s history and political science departments on
21 May at the Academy’s annual awards ceremony. Three
aspiring naval officers, first among their peers, received
certificates and an officer’s sword or brass desk clocks. It is
always inspiring to see all these very impressive young people
who are preparing to take leadership roles in our naval services.
Please plan on attending our Annual Congress 29 October
through 1 November 2014 at Newport, Rhode Island. The
Congress site is the Marriott Hotel, located downtown on the
beautiful and exciting Newport waterfront. Current
information about the Congress appears on the NOUS
website, including registration, local attractions, and links to
the hotel for your reservations. The Congress Host Chairman
George Wardwell also periodically provides updates via email.
Many of you served on active duty in the Newport area and we
hope that you will return along with those who will be visiting
for the very first time. We suggest you register as early as possible to
help the Congress Committee in its planning and funding as well as to
ensure a room in the Marriott Hotel.
On behalf of your Naval Order leadership we wish every
Companion a very enjoyable and safe summer.
CAPT Vance H. Morrison, USN (Ret.)
Commander General
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award
Schuld’s article on the next page.
Vice Commander General-at-Large Captain Kent Siegel has been
tackling our projects management task diligently. By now, all
who have suggested projects to us should have received
individual instructions from him on how we can assist you to
proceed with your project. As more suggestions continue to come
to our attention, the results promise to enrich that aspect of the
Order’s mission. Several projects have reached the approval stage.
Responding to suggestions from a number of Companions
following Companion Howard Snell’s passing, Companion
Captain Michele Lockwood rapidly drafted a very comprehensive
proposal for an award, with an objective similar to our
Distinguished Sea Service Award for our most senior officers,
which will honor a senior enlisted member of the sea services.
The Awards Committee is studying this proposal for discussion
and submission for consideration by this fall’s Annual Congress.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
Our Historian General Commander Doug Smith has written a
fascinating background article for us on the Nimitz Grey Book
Project for which the Naval Order was one of the principal
funders. The project is proving to be one of the most
significant in which the Naval Order has participated.
It is my honor to announce that the
2014 Admiral of the Navy George
Dewey Award will be presented to
former Secretary of the Navy and
Naval Order Companion, John F.
Lehman, Jr.
Eligibility for the Dewey Award is as
follows: Any United States civilian
eligible for Regular membership,
whose record for service sets
him/her apart among his/her peers is deemed eligible. The
period of eligibility is not an issue for this award.
Secretary Lehman’s biography and photograph will appear in
the Fall Edition of the Naval Order Newsletter.
PAGE 2
Submitted by Vance H. Morrison
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS REWARDS
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
New members, new members!
Charleston Commandery
Why do we need them?
 New members help promote the history and mission of the
Naval Order.
 New members bring new ideas to the Naval Order.
Monterey Bay Commandery
LT Brian Michael Harrington, USN
 New members assume leadership roles as our senior
members step aside. Think about it, the Commander
General fifteen or twenty years from now may not even be
a member yet. Who among you will recruit him today?
National Capitol Commandery
CDR Robert James Brunner, USN (Ret)
CAPT John Noel Petrie, USN (Ret0
 New members help find speakers for their local
commanderies.
New Orleans Commandery
Mr. Arthur Alexander DeFraites, Jr.
 New members, in turn, find more new members.
New York Commandery
So far in 2014, we have approved 40 new members for a total
membership of 1,400.
However, that is simply not enough! We need more to insure
the Naval Order’s reaches it potential and meets the high
standards of the mission.
Mission - To encourage research and writing on naval and
maritime subjects preserve documents, portraits and other records of
prominent figures deeds and memories of our naval and maritime
history and through fellowship of our members advance the Naval
Order's unselfish service and worthy aims for the security and
enduring well-being of our country. To foster, among all American
citizens, informed interest in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast
Guard and Merchant Marine, with the understanding that their
efficiency is essential to national security and that readiness to
make victory in war certain and speedy will deter aggression and
minimize dangers to world peace.
There are thousands of fine, qualified people "out there" that
would join tomorrow if only asked.
Only nine commanderies out of 19 have reported new
members this year. We ask that all local commanders and
companions make a special effort to seek, identify and
propose one or more new members each month. With
your help we could have 1,500 new members by this
year's Congress.
For further information or help with the membership process,
you may contact Don Schuld at [email protected].
CAPT Donald W. Schuld, USN(Ret)
Naval Order of the United States
Vice Commander General – Membership
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
CDR Debra Ann Casavant, (NC) USN (Ret)
Mr. Russell Andrew Comport
Mr. Edward Holland Culver, Jr.
CWO4 Albert Joseph Pelletier, III, USN (Ret)
Mr. Ferol Bruce Vernon
Mr. John Winthrop
LT Steven Joseph Ayling, USN
Mr. Michael Andrew Connolly
Mr. Edward Vincent Crowley
Mr. John Joseph Herbert
Mr. Louis Henry Liotti, Esq.
Mr. Michael Lipstein
Master Ronald Scott Perry, USMM
LCDR Joseph Christopher Purcell, USNR (Ret)
Mr. George David Simpson
Newport Commandery
CAPT Matthew John Gimple, USCG
CDR Carlton Roy Johnson, USN (Ret)
Southeast Florida
Mr. Franklin Sylvester Burkett, Jr.
Mr. Thomas James Burkett
San Francisco Commandery
LCDR Christopher Todd Burns, USNR
CAPT Bruce Jasper Janigian, USN (Ret)
CAPT Alexander James Johnson, USMCR
Mr. Dennis C. Koller
Mr. Michael Raymond McCoy
LCDR Alfred Francis McDonnell, USN (Ret)
Mrs. Kathleen Ariel McKnight
Mr. Michael Lorenzo Mustacchi
LT Cipriano Cruz Salonga, USN (Ret)
Mr. Frank Earl Wallace, III
Mr. Bruce David Wiggs
LCDR Thomas Clinton Winant, USN (Ret)
Texas Commandery
Mr. Gary Dale Watson
RADM James A. Watson, IV, USCG (Ret)
Mr. Thomas William Smith
PAGE 3
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
CHARLESTON COMMANDERY
Surprise Award Ceremony
John Paul Jones Sword Award
It started at Starbuck’s, where Charleston Commandery
companion RADM David Shimp, SCNM (Ret.) heads almost
every morning. Another regular is retired Aviation Machinist Mate
2d Class Claude Clifton, a WWII vet, whose daughter, Marty
Young, works at the coffee shop. Familiarity breeds friendships,
and friendships invite conversation, and one particular
conversation struck a chord with Dave Shimp.
The Charleston
Commandery
awarded its first
annual John Paul
Jones Sword at
the 2014 Citadel
Awards
Convocation on
May 8. MIDN
Second Class
Cole Kirpatrick,
class of 2015, was
selected to
receive the honor
by the Professor
of Naval Science,
RADM Robert E. Besal, USN (Ret.) and
NROTC Unit,
MIDN Second Class Cole Kirpatrick
The Citadel, in
recognition of
demonstrated
RADM Robert E. Besal, USN and MIDN
leadership,
Second Class Cole Kirpatrick
excellence, and
military bearing, and for personifying the high ideals and
principles which motivated and sustained our naval forefathers.
The sword was presented by RADM Robert E. Besal, USN
(Ret.), Vice Commander-Membership, Charleston Commandery.
Clifton, now 91, served aboard the aircraft carriers Ranger and
Essex for five years during the war. As Marty told it, over the
years her dad’s medals had been lost, and as he got older, Clifton
discovered he regretted those losses more and more. Marty
wondered how she might help obtain replacements, and the light
went on for RADM Shimp.
Calling on a friend in Washington, Shimp started Clifton’s story
up the chain and the request for replacement medals landed in the
lap of SC Senator Lindsey Graham. The result? Not just a set of
medals, but The Citadel color guard; an award ceremony led by
RADM Shimp and Sen. Graham, the main speaker; about 70
friends and family; and an amazing memory for a WWII veteran,
his children and grandchildren.
The event, which took place on April 15, was a complete surprise
to Clifton, who thought he was celebrating his daughter’s birthday
with a visit to the aircraft carrier Yorktown. "It was the least my
office could do," Graham said afterwards. "What we celebrate as
history was Mr. Clifton's youth. He went off to war, not for glory
or honors, but because it was his duty.”
RADM Shimp’s efforts to pull together this amazing tribute to
“an ordinary American” ~ one of the dwindling members of the
Greatest Generation to whom we owe so much ~ is what The
Naval Order and the Charleston Commandery are all about. It is
a perfect illustration of celebrating Living History, a key
component of our charge to preserve and promote maritime
heritage. Bolstered by great local news coverage, the Clifton
ceremony was a win-win-win for all. "This is the best thing that's
ever happened in my life," said Clifton, as he wiped away tears
after the ceremony.
MIDN Kirkpatrick’s father served in the Marines, and his
grandfathers in the Navy and Air Force. After exploring the
different services, Kirkpatrick found the Navy most appealed to
him, providing the best opportunity to apply and challenge
himself physically and mentally.
Kirkpatrick scored a 290/300 on the last Navy Physical
Readiness Test and is a nationally competitive swimmer in
multiple strokes. In addition, he has maintained a 3.85 cumulative
GPA as a Civil Engineering major, while simultaneously receiving
training as an EMT. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi
engineering honor society and is in the top 10% of his
engineering class. MIDN Kirkpatrick is the highest-ranking
MIDN in his class. Not only does he strive for personal
excellence, he also seeks out opportunity to lead by example. He
is concurrently the first sergeant of his cadet company, the
treasurer of a Ridgeway Award-winning ASCE chapter, a tutor,
and a MIDN division officer in charge of the pre-special warfare
program within the NROTC unit. Across all of these positions,
MIDN Kirkpatrick has successfully led over 200 people in a wide
variety of circumstances and will continue to thrive after being
commissioned in the spring of 2015.
The John Paul Jones Sword Award was initiated and this year
funded by Charleston Companion Mike Alford. Mike joined the
School of Business Administration faculty at The Citadel in
Continued on next page…
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 4
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
CHARLESTON COMMANDERY CONT…
FIRST COAST COMMANDERY
August of 1978 and retired as Professor Emeritus in 2006. He still
teaches part time at The Citadel. The award is the first of the
Commandery’s
2014 focused efforts to raise awareness
of the
Naval Order in our community, and to develop relationships with
local organizations and entities with similar interests.
In March CAPT Chuck drove up from his “winter home” in
Deland, FL to support the Charleston Commandery’s 2014
focused recruiting efforts by serving as guest speaker for its
first biannual Meet and Greet and, as he said, by illustrating
“what the Naval Order is all about."
Charleston's Living History
Downey’s presentation was a fantastic success. The talk
encompassed his first flying experiences; how he progressed to
becoming a Helldiver pilot at 19; his first forays. He brought
pieces from two Japanese planes ~ one, shrapnel from his
engine when he was almost shot down his second time out; the
other from a kamikaze strike on his carrier. He brought
photos and the story of his visit with George and Barbara Bush
earlier this year. The audience was captivated.
CAPT Charles S. Downey, USN (Ret.) is living Naval [Order]
history ~ the youngest Naval Aviator of World War II, oldest
living Naval Order companion, and NOUS member of
longest standing.
Downey, 90, lived through 17 bombing missions, 2 kamikaze
attacks, and seeing several of his friends shot down by the enemy
during his service in World War II. In 1945 Chuck was awarded
the Air Medal for taking part in the first carrier-based dive bomber
raid on mainland Japan. His bomb helped destroy an airplane
hangar near Tokyo. On Dec 7, 1948, he joined the Naval Order
of the United States, and today holds the position of senior
member of this organization.
On Jan 9 of this year, former President and Navy pilot George H.
W. Bush, who for many years had claimed the title of Youngest
Naval Aviator of World War II, formally handed the title over to
its rightful owner, Chuck Downey, younger by 11 days, at a
specially arranged meeting at the former President's residence at
College Station, Texas.
In recollection, Chuck says, “It was a terrific visit my daughter
Elaine and I had with President and Mrs. Bush, and they couldn't
have been more gracious.” The two men talked a great deal about
their days conducting combat missions in the Pacific.
"We were
two naval
aviators that
were both
commission
ed before
they were 19
years old,”
added
Downey.
“That was
the reason
I thought
it was
important
George H.W. Bush and CAPT Charles S. Downey, USN (Ret.)
we should
meet up. Here we are at this late stage, and when I saw him on TV
in a wheelchair going into the White House, I said, ‘I’ve got to
meet this guy before he leaves the planet.’"
Chuck knows his is an amazing story. He understands the
powerful charge of the Naval Order to preserve our Naval
history. He knows the power of oral tradition; understands the
importance of sharing his experiences; and feels a duty as the
Order’s senior member to pass his story on. Of greatest value
to us, CAPT Chuck takes particular pride in the
accomplishments of the Charleston Commandery and has
already committed to continuing his oral tradition at our
September Meet and Greet event. To date in 2014, he has six
personal New Recruit notches to his credit.
Submitted by Hartley Porter
NOUS First Coast Addresses the
Graduates and Recognizes Top OC from
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University held its commissioning ceremony on 3
May 2014 introducing 19 new Ensigns and First Lieutenants into
the Navy and Marine Corps. Guest speaker for the occasion was
NOUS First Coast Commandery Vice Commander for
Programs, RADM George A. Huchting, USN (Ret.). RADM
Huchting spoke directly to the new Officers tasking them with
the new challenges they were about to encounter.
During the
ceremony, NOUS
First Coast
Commander
CDR J. Michael
McGrath, USN
(Ret.) presented
Ensign Michael
Kunkel, USN with
a Navy Officer’s
sword recognizing
his outstanding
performance as
Both men earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for their service as the Top Officer
Naval Aviators. President Bush, who is also a member of the Naval Candidate (Fleet)
Order, was recognized as our first Dewey Award recipient in 2002. in the graduating
class.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 5
First Coast Commandery Commander CDR J.
Michael McGrath presents a Navy Officer’s Sword
to JU Top OC Ensign Michael Kunkel, USN
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
FIRST COAST COMMANDERY CONT….
An Evening with the Commanding Officer
of the Mayport Naval Station
USS Stark (FFG-31) Memorial
On 8 May, Companions of
the
First Coast
Commandery and
Veterans
at the
Queens Harbour
Yacht and
Country Club
joined together
(with some
Mayport Navy
Leaguers, too!) to
have dinner and
meet with the new
Commanding
Officer of the
Mayport, Florida,
Naval Station.
TMore
EXAS
COMMANDERY
than
300 civilians and service members gathered at Naval
Commemoration
Station Mayport’s Memorial Park on Friday 16 May 2014 for
the 27th anniversary of the attack on USS Stark (FFG 31).
On May 17, 1987, 37 sailors aboard USS Stark were killed after
the frigate was struck by two Iraqi missiles while it was
deployed on patrol in the Arabian Gulf. Despite the severe
damage, the heroic efforts of Stark’s crew saved the ship.
Guest speaker, CAPT Wes McCall, commanding officer of NS
Mayport was introduced by First Coast Commandery
Commander J. Michael McGrath, USN (Ret). Captain McCall
reminded the attendees of the crew’s efforts to save their
shipmates and the ship.
The service featured accounts of some of the events that
occurred during the attack and also events that followed.
CAPT Wes McCall, CO NS Mayport FL
Cocktails and a
very fine buffet
dinner were held at the Queens Harbour Club beginning at 1800.
The MC for the evening was our Commandery Commander, J.
Michael McGrath, with the invocation by our Chaplain,
Monsignor Captain Jim Mennis CHC , USN (Ret.).
Past National Commander Captain Greg Streeter, USN (Ret.)
introduced Captain and Mrs. McCall. Captain and Mrs. McCall
have been married about 3 years - a first marriage for both.
Captain McCall turned over the floor to his bride, Reyna, to
regale us all on how they met in Coronado, California. Reyna is
native Californian with a PhD in a scientific discipline that few of
us even knew existed! She is a very outgoing and animated
speaker and the story of their courtship was truly enjoyed by all.
Captain McCall then took over talk about the job of commanding
a Naval Station with its ship support, aircraft support and the
things that are necessary to run an entire small city.
For those of us who take some of these things for granted, it was
a dose of reality when we heard the range of issues facing a
Commanding Officer of a full service shore establishment today.
His phone did not go off during the evening - a sign of a
well-run command!
A great informal evening with good friends, now including the
CO and his bride!
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
“Shortly after [9 p.m.], the ship was hit by two Exocet anti-ship
cruise missiles fired by a single Iraqi F-1 Mirage fighter,”
McCall recounted.
“The first missile entered the port side of the ship. Parts of
that missile travelled through the ship, creating a hole in the
starboard hull. The second missile entered the ship near the
same location and exploded approximately three feet inside the
skin of the ship.
Each missile injected approximately 300 pounds of propellant
into the ship’s crew berthing and chief petty officer’s quarters.
The combination of 600 pounds of burning propellant resulted
in a near instantaneous heat release of approximately 12 million
BTUs, ending the lives of many sailors immediately.”
The CPO mess immediately filled with smoke, as did the
officer quarters, he said. “The decks forward of the explosion
were in flames and the fire spread through the mess line and
starboard passageway forward. Smoke filled the repair locker
number 5 and repair 2 areas and firemain pressure was reduced
to 60 PSI due to a ruptured firemain forward. Radio
communications were all but lost.”
In fact the crew had to use the PRC-90 radios from the
helicopter aircrew survival vests to coordinate rescue and
damage control efforts. And those efforts would last for
almost 20 hours as the crew fought raging fires and looked for
missing shipmates.
McCall also told the story of fallen shipmate Seaman Recruit
Brian Clinefelter, whose father Senior Chief Gary Clinefelter
was stationed at NS Mayport during the attack.
PAGE 6
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
FIRST COAST COMMANDERY CONT…
“On April 23, 1987, Brian
arrived on board USS Stark
eager to begin
his naval
career and honor his family
with service to his nation,”
McCall said. “Twenty-four
days later, Brian had just
completed his watch and was
preparing for bed when the
missiles struck. Although
grieving the loss of his son,
Gary volunteered to work at
the coordination center the
base had set up to support
the grieving families. He
simply said, ‘I need to keep
working.’ In keeping with
Gary’s sterling example, we
too must continue to work.”
Memorial Day Observation and
Wreath Presentation
The First Coast Commandery participated in the 2014 City of
Jacksonville Memorial Day Observance that was held May 26 at
the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall. The Navy Band
Southeast provided music and the Edward Waters College
Chorus provided vocal support. ADM Jonathan T. Howe, USN
(Ret.) was the keynote speaker.
Seaman Recruit Brian Clinefelter
“We must work to keep our shipmates’ memory alive,” he
continued. “This tragic loss reminds us that even when America
is not at war, servicemen and women risk everything so that all
Americans can be at peace….May our memories be long.”
The ceremony commenced at 9:00 AM with Mayor Alvin Brown,
Sen Bill Nelson (D-FL), Reps Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and
Corrine Brown (D-FL), SE Regional Commander RADM
Rick L. Williamson (a Jacksonville Native), and many other local
CO’s and Officials in attendance. RADM Vic Guillory, USN
(Ret.) Director of Military Affairs and Veteran Dept for
Jacksonville presided.
Four names of local service members were added to the over
1700 names on the wall from conflicts from World War I to the
present day. The ceremony included an overflight by an
A-4 C Sky Hawk piloted by CAPT Dave Dollarhide, USN (Ret.).
A bell is tolled for the 37 crewmembers lost on the Stark as
Companion CAPT Pete Wynkoop, USN (Ret.) reads the names
of the fallen heroes.
NOUS First Coast Vice Commander for Admin Capt Bob Whitkop, USN
(Ret.) and Capt Tom Allan, CO - Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville prepare
to lay a wreath at the Veteran’s Memorial Wall
During the somber ceremony, the names of those killed at sea
were read aloud by Companion Capt. Pete Wynkoop, USN
(Ret) and a bell tolled for each one; 37 strikes of a bell and a 21gun salute honored the Sailors who lost their lives.
Stark was decommissioned at Mayport in 1999. In order to
preserve the tradition once the ship was retired, the Naval
Order of the United States, Florida First Coast Commandery,
assumed sponsorship for the memorial service.
As Harrison Conyers, Operations and Development
Manager, Military Affairs and Veterans Department, City of
Jacksonville stated “This event has grown to be one of the largest
Memorial Day Observances in the United States and it is because
of the incredible sponsors like the Naval Order of the United
State that support our efforts.” The Jacksonville Memorial Wall
is the second largest of its type after the Vietnam Veteran’s
Memorial Wall in Washington DC.
Mayport’s Memorial Park was established Aug. 1, 1987, with the
dedication of the Stark monument. (Courtesy of Fl Times Union)
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 7
Submitted by Bob Whitkop
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
MONTEREY BAY COMMANDERY Memorial Day Services. Memorial Day Memorial services
were held on the Monterey Coast Guard Station Pier ONE on
the 26th with participation from the many service
organizations
here on the Monterey Peninsula. On-behalf of the Naval
Order, a wreath was “casted” into the seas for those that have
served and continue to serve.
Battle of Midway Dinner. The Monterey Bay Commandery
held the 72nd Anniversary Battle of Midway Dining-Out on
Saturday 7 June at the Naval Postgraduate School. The
evening started on the quarter deck of the Old Del Monte
Hotel, now the site of the Naval Postgraduate School, with a
full service reception. The immediate reception area was
decorated with June 4-6 1942 historical Battle of Midway
artifacts provided by the school’s Dudley Knox Library. The
honoree President of the Battle of Midway Mess was Dr.
Douglas A. Hensler, Provost of the Naval Postgraduate
School and the President of the Mess was Captain Timothy
Faller, USN, Commanding Officer, Naval Support Activity
Monterey. Fellow Companion Lieutenant Brian Harrington,
USN was Mr. Vice who seemed to enjoy sending many of his
shipmates and “new found” friends to the “grog bowl”. The
guest speaker was Naval Postgraduate School’s Assistant
Professor Erik J. Dahl, Commander, USN (Ret.) who spoke
on the topic of “Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway Intelligence Aspects”. His complete presentation is posted
on the Naval Order National web-site and can be found under
Local Commanderies, Monterey Bay Commandery - Current
Event. Professor Erik’s most recent published book,
“Intelligence and Surprise Attack: Failure and Success
from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and Beyond” has already
become a must read in many national circles.
Charlotte continues her personal efforts in supporting a
continuing strong naval presence world-wide. The AFCEA
Monterey Chapter presented her with a special ceremonial bottle
of wine from the 70th Anniversary Battle of Midway dinner held
here in 2012.
A memorial wreath
was presented prior
to the formal
dinner by Petty
Officer Lance
Bloodworth, USN,
NPS’s sailor of the
year, and
Lieutenant Emily
Merritt, USN,
Monterey Bay
LCpl Mon and PFC Duncan from the Monterey
Commandery
Defense Language Institute MARDET during the
Commander, in
Battle of Midway wreath ceremony. Looking on is
recognition of the
LT Emily Merritt, USN, Commandery Commander
and PO1 Lance Bloodworth, NPS Sailor of the
valor and sacrifice
Year. Photo credit NPS Javier Chagoya
of the heroes that
fought at the Battle of Midway. “They came from all walks of
life – from small towns and big cities – and answered our
Nation’s call to go to a place they had never seen before. We
were losing the war in the Pacific until these heroes
fought. Many of them gave the last full measure to help turn
the tide of the war so that we could be free as Americans”.
Navy CID Unit Monterey choir provided dinner music with
patriotic songs for the enjoyment of all the guests and the evening
ended with remembrances of those that have served and those still
serving with the “piping” of Amazing Grace and “taps”. Other
guests of the mess included the Chesty Puller Battalion and
Monterey County Division, Naval Sea Cadets Corps; the Monterey
High School NJROTC who provided the honor and color guard;
and, a detachment of Marine Corps Defense Language LCpls,
preparing to serve forward in our nations interest.
The official guest of honor was Mrs. Charlotte Minor, 100 years
young this June who was at home with her husband and two
young children, on December 7th, 1941 when “we awoke to the
sounds of planes and bullets hitting the ground. As my husband
was returning to his ship, the USS UTAH, he placed his 45
automatic on the table and (our two children, 3 and 5 years old, Commandery Leadership Change. Lieutenant Jason Grammar,
under it) left the house saying…don’t move…….stay
who joined the Naval Order while at the Naval Academy, has
here…..off he went and I didn’t see him for another two years”. relieved Lieutenant Emily Merritt as the Commander of the
Monterey Bay Commandery. Emily graduated June 20th with a
Master’s degree in National Security Affairs and is en route to
Naval Station Mayport reporting as the Flag Aide to U.S. 4th Fleet.
Jason will graduate in December with a MBA in Energy Financial
Management.
Crossing the Bar. Monterey Bay Commandery Companions were
saddened to learn of the passing of STS 2 James (Jim) Hester,
USN who died on Memorial Day at 1500 hours. Jim joined the
Naval Order through the Monterey Bay Commandery on June the
5th, 2005 and served with great distinction as the Commandery
Executive Treasurer. Jim will be truly remembered here on the
Monterey Peninsula and the many that serve at sea during his
many active years of service.
Submitted by Ken Johnson
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 8
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NATIONAL CAPITOL COMMANDERY
On 10 May, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the United
States Naval Academy dedicated the Commodore John Barry
the Naval Order
Monument at the Naval Academy. Representing
were companions John Rodgaard and Judy Pearson. Also in
attendance was fellow companion Ralph Day who appeared in the
1802 uniform of a US Navy captain. Ralph and John are also
members of the John Barry Division of the Ancient Order of the
Hibernians, with Ralph being a former President of the division.
116th Anniversary of Commodore George Dewey's victory at
Manila Bay. The ceremony was held in the Bethlehem Chapel,
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (National
Cathedral). We were honored to have the Right Reverend
James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Armed Forces and
Federal Ministries, Episcopal Church provide the opening
prayer and the National Commander-General, Captain Vance
H. Morrison, USN (Ret) provide welcoming remarks.
CDR "Chris" Rentfrow, USN, Associate Chair, Department
of History, U.S. Naval Academy was our outstanding Guest
Speaker and we were honored to have Colonel Orlando M.
Suarez, PA (GSC), Military Attaché of the Philippines
participate as a representative of the Philippine Government.
John Rodgaard, Ralph Day as John Barry, and Judy Pearson
Huzzah to Participants of the State
Competition of National History Day!
Vice Admiral Miller, the
superintendent of the
Naval Academy
welcomed those in
attendance and spoke
of the importance the
monument and the gate
will be to future
Midshipman. “It will
serve to inspire future
generations of
Midshipmen as they
become leaders to serve
the nation”.
The monument is
located adjacent to the
newly constructed Barry
Gate which leads
directly from the Naval
Academy to the center
of Annapolis’
waterfront.
Following the dedication, John, Judy and Ralph joined several
hundred Hibernians and their family members for a lunch in the
Naval Academy’s Dahlgren Hall.
On May 1, 2014 the National Commandery commemorated
h
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
Congratulations to all the students who advanced to the state
round of the National History Day competition held at
University of Maryland Baltimore County on May 3! A special
War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission congratulations to
sixth graders Michelle Seaberg, Imani Humphreys-Torres and
Lucy Hubbard who received an award from The National
Capitol Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States
for the their group performance "A Comparison of the
British & American Perspectives of The War of 1812 from the
Home Front."
Submitted by John Rodgaard
PAGE 9
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NEW ORLEANS COMMANDERY, NEWPORT COMMANDERY, AND SAN FRANCISCO COMMANDERY
All in attendance were riveted by his insightful analysis of the
Battle, and many intend to attend his presentation on 3 June as
the Keynote Speaker at the Naval War College for the Battle of
Midway Commemoration, which will be beamed to all Navy
ships and stations around the world live.
The New Orleans commandery met May 13 at August
Restaurant. More that forty companions and guests dined in the
top rated restaurant
in New Orleans.
They were hosted by the owner, and nationally acclaimed Chef
and Restaurateur, John Besh. Chef Besh spoke of growing up in
the New Orleans area, and of his years of service in the Marine
Corps as a morterman before learning to cook. Following
graduation from the Culinary Institute of America he trained in
Germany. He returned to New Orleans, where he now is the
owner of nine of the city's finest restaurants, with more than
nine hundred employees.
We were fortunate to have in attendance the grandsons of Fleet
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Chester Nimitz and Richard
Freeman Lay, the two newest Companions of the Newport
Commandery. Chet and Dick offered their thanks to the Naval
Order, and especially Admiral Doug Moore and Capt. Vance
Morrison, for including them in the 2 September 2013
dedication of the statue of their Grandfather on Ford Island,
HI, where they were "treated like royalty."
The New Orleans commandery met previously in March at
Andrea's Restaurant. The speaker was Gordon Russell,
Managing Editor of the New Orleans Advocate. When the only
paper in town, the Times/Picayune, went to print only three
days a week, the Baton Rouge Advocate geared up to capture the
market as a daily in New Orleans.
In April the commandery honored Midshipman First Class
Brandon Sledge at the Tulane University ROTC graduation
awards ceremony.
Submitted by Gary Bair
Newport Commandery
At our 3 June event
commemorating the
Battle of Midway, the
Newport Commander
y was fortunate to
have as our Guest
Speaker awardwinning author and
scholar Jon Parshall
who gave us a
sparkling talk on the events leading up to the Battle of Midway.
His comments were based on the extensive research he has done
for his book, “Shattered Sword”.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
Also in attendance was lifetime member of the Naval Order,
Admiral James R. Hogg, former COMSEVENTHFLE and U.S.
Representative to the NATO Military Committee, as well as
Director of the CNO's Strategic Studies Group at the
Naval War College. Aside from asking some really good
questions of Jon Parshall and offering his own insights, Admiral
Hogg indicated that he is likely to attend the October Congress
in Newport. Four new candidate Companions also attended
the Midway event.
Submitted by Doug Smith
San Francisco Commandery
Marines Memorial Club Hosts Battle Of
Midway 72nd Anniversary Celebration
The Marines Memorial Club was once again the venue the
United States Navy’s annual celebration of the Battle of Midway
hosted by the San Francisco Commandery.
The evening’s guest speaker was Admiral Ron Zlatoper, USN,
(Ret) former Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet who noted
in his speech that he was proud to have served in the same
capacity as Admiral Nimitz. Joining him as honored guests
were Battle of Midway Veterans, Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd
Childers, USMC (Ret) and Lieutenant Commander Forrest
“Tim” Milas, USNR (Ret).
Childers and Milas were both navy enlisted during the battle.
After Childers’ ship, USS CASSIN (DD-372) was sunk at Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941, he transferred to naval aviation
and as a tail gunner on a torpedo bomber was severely
wounded during the Battle of Midway. While recovering from
his wounds, he transferred to Marine Corps aviation and served
Continued on next page….
PAGE 10
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
SAN FRANCISCO COMMANDERY CONT….
TEXAS COMMANDERY
honorably in both Korea
and Vietnam before retiring.
Milas, who was
in the
submarine service
says that
the sun”
he “never saw
during most of the war. He
was aboard the submarine
USS GATO (SS-212)
task force.
screening the
MCCS Bob Hansen with Midway Vets
LtCol Lloyd Childers (left)
Childers and Milas were
and LCDR Tim Milas.
both navy enlisted
during
CASSIN (DD-372) was
the battle. After
Childers’ ship, USS
sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he transferred to
and as a tail gunner on a torpedo bomber was
naval aviation
severely wounded
during the Battle of Midway. While recovering
from his wounds, he transferred to Marine Corps aviation and
served honorably in both Korea and Vietnam before retiring.
Milas, who was
in the submarine service says that he “never saw
most of the war. He was aboard the submarine
the sun” during
USS GATO (SS-212) screening the task force during the Battle
of Midway. The GATO went on to earn the Presidential Unit
13 war patrols. Milas who was subsequently
Citation during
in the Naval Reserve still suffers hearing loss
commissioned
from Japanese depth charges.
LT Jim Lansing, CAPT Kris Carlock, and CAPT Michele Lockwood of the
San Francisco Commandery enjoy the evening.
The Chief of Naval Operations designates “The Battle of
Midway” as an “official” Navy celebratory event. The President
of the Mess this year was Rear Admiral Winston Copeland. Vice
President of the Mess was Captain Sandy Lockwood of the San
Francisco Commandery.
Submitted by Bob Hansen
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
The Texas Commandery, in cooperation with the Navy League,
the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the West Point
Association held the annual Battle of Midway Luncheon at the
HESS (Houston Engineering and Scientific Societies) facility on
June 4, 2014, the 72nd anniversary of the battle. Commandery
Commander MM2 (SS) Gil Raynor, USN (Ret.) conducted the
meeting. He introduced the speaker, the noted author, Dr. Craig
L. Symonds, who had written the book, “The Battle of
Midway”.
Dr. Symonds
opened his address
by projecting a
picture of the
words of Walter
Lord that are
chiseled in marble
on the Second
World War
Monument in
Washington, DC:
“They had no
right to win, yet
Dr. Craig Symonds at the podium
they did, and in
doing so they changed the course of the war”.
He noted that several others felt the same way: that the outcome
was fortuitous because of fate, chance, and luck or even divine
will. He felt that certainly those considerations played some role,
but that the outcome of the battle was primarily the result of
decisions made and actions taken by individuals – some prior to
the battle such as the work of the code-breakers working under
Joe Rochefort, and others in their reactions in a fraction of a
second during the battle such as that of LT Richard Best in
leading his remaining three dive bombers to switch targets from
the Kaga, that was being smothered by 18 dive bombers under
LCDR Wade McClusky, to the Akagi (Nagumo’s flagship).
Thus, although fate may have “played a hand” in the outcome,
it was also decided by the character, training and experience of
the men who fought the battle.
Dr. Symonds also discussed the parts played and influence of
some of the other key actors in the battle such as Admiral
Nimitz and Admiral Nagumo.
During the Q&A period he answered questions about the
“flight to nowhere” by the USS Hornet Air Group. He covered
the known facts and suggested the rationale which may have
been behind the actions by the air group commander, CDR
Stanhope Ring, and the USS Hornet CO, CAPT Marc Mitscher.
The program was greatly enjoyed by the large turnout of the sea
service community.
PAGE 11
Submitted by CAPT Carter B. Conlin, USN (Ret.)
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NEWS FROM THE NOUS PROJECTS OFFICE
NIMITZ’ GRAYBOOK
As reported in the last newsletter, a program is now underway to
receive, review, and evaluate project ideas with funding grants
considered for those that have the greatest merit.
The Projects
Management Office is evaluating nine project ideas that have been
submitted within the past year, three of which have been clarified
to the point where funding support by the NOUS Foundation is
being evaluated.
The Naval War College and Fleet Admiral
Nimitz’s “Graybook” By John B. Hattendorf
We continue to look for project ideas that will fulfill some aspect
of the Order’s History and Heritage Mission; and hopefully pique
the interest of prospective donors to the Foundation.
The need for your ideas comes with an important caveat. An idea
is only the start of a long process; it must be supported by a
concept that describes how and by whom the project will be
accomplished. Then the step that commits the real substance
needed is the preparation of the written proposal. The Naval
Order does not have the luxury of a project team in standby
waiting to jump on a project idea, however worthy it may be.
Among the vast number of documents to be found in the
seventy-one feet of the Papers of Fleet Admiral Chester W.
Nimitz in the Archives Branch at the U.S. Naval History and
Heritage Command in Washington, D.C., are seven large bound
books from the period between 7 December 1941 and 31
August1945. An eighth book contains selected dispatches
relating to the battle of Midway.
The books were originally bound in gray covered binders that
gave the document the nickname that Nimitz’s staff used: “The
Graybook”. More formally, it was labeled on the cover as
“Command Summary.” A closer look inside, however, reveals
that this document is far more important than its title might
suggest. It is the daily record of the combat situation that the
Commander in Chief, Pacific, and Pacific Ocean Areas, faced
every day of the war, and it tells us what Nimitz knew and what
the basis and reasons for his daily command decisions were. As
one historian has written, “It is the most authoritative source on
the Pacific war available anywhere.”
Typically it has been the marshalling of local commandery
resources that has supported project development whether the
idea originated there or was sent down by the Order’s leadership
echelon with a request to “run with it”. Once launched, resources
from other commanderies, the Order in general, and external
monies donated through our Foundation came into play as in the
Normandy Monument and Nimitz Statue projects. In smaller
projects, minimal outside help is usually needed but some funding
by the Foundation is common.
Every good project idea deserves a chance to bear fruit, but that
will happen only if there’s a sound action plan attached. A Final
Thought: There are few things gained through Naval Order
membership as satisfying as being a player in a successful project
team.
Submitted by CAPT Kent Siegel, USN (Ret)
NOUS Projects Director
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
Nimitz and the Naval War College, This document has
several important connections with the Naval War College.
First, Nimitz had long series of connections with the Naval War
College. He was one of the very few officers who gave their
first lecture to the Naval War College as a lieutenant in 1912.
While serving as executive officer in the battleship South
Carolina (BB 26) in 1918, he took a Naval War College
correspondence course. Then, in the autumn of 1922, he joined
the eleven-month resident course at Newport during Admiral
William S. Sims’s final months as War College president.
Among his classmates under that great naval commander from
World War One, there were others in the Class of 1923, who
would later become prominent. Among them were future Chief
of Naval Operations Harold Stark, and other future flag
officers, including Thomas C. Hart, Ralph Earle, and Frederick
J. Horne. The faculty included future inter-war era Battle Fleet
commander Harris Lanning and World War One mine force
commander Reginald R. Belknap. Continued on next page…
PAGE 12
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NIMITZ GRAYBOOK CONT…
In Newport, as a commander, Nimitz studied war planning
and strategy and used war gaming as a tool in his education.
During a lecture
in Newport in 1960, Nimitz summarized the
role of the college
and its war gaming exercises in his education
and preparation for high command by recalling that “. . . the
war with Japan had been re-enacted in the game rooms here [at
the Naval War College] . . . in so many different ways that
nothing that happened during the war was a surprise—
absolutely nothing except the kamikaze tactics toward the end
of the war, we had not visualized those.”
Green Hornet” or as it was formally titled in its ultimate form,
Sound Military Decision, published in 1942. This volume
captured the essence of a Naval War College education in the
interwar period, particularly in the refinements to it made under
the guidance of Admiral Edward C. Kalbfus between 1934 and
1942. This book was unquestionably the crowning expression of
the College’s philosophy and approach. It was the only
approach to naval planning that American naval officers were
trained in using and its influence is found throughout American
naval operations during World War II.
At the same time, he and his fellow students were required to
work out logistic support plans for an advance across the
Pacific. Nimitz recalled that he and his fellow students found
the logistics part of the Naval War College curriculum an
academic nightmare, but in retrospect “it forced us to look into
the Pacific and study the geography of the Pacific. All through
World War II in the Pacific, I didn’t even have to look at a
map of the Pacific to know where all of those little atolls and
tiny pinpoints were.” Nimitz clearly understood the value of a
Naval War College education and had used his own education
in Newport during World War II.
The Nimitz “Graybook” is a very rare surviving example in the
records of the U.S. Navy that documents the daily, sustained
use, over an entire war, of the War College’s “Fourth Step,” the
highest level in the military planning process.
As a Rear Admiral and Chief of the Bureau of Navigation from
1939 to 1941, he found that the war plans called for closing the
Naval War College during wartime, as had been the Navy’s
policy during the Spanish-American War and during World
War I. In March 1941, Nimitz formally changed that policy in
order to allow the College to carry out an educational role
during wartime and be prepared for its expanded role in the
postwar period.
The “Graybook” and Naval War
College Education. Admiral
Nimitz’s personal connections to
the Naval War College as an
alumnus and key supporter are the
emblematic background to the
story of the “Graybook.” As a
commander in chief, Nimitz
certainly reflected his Naval War
College education that he, most of
his flag officer colleagues, and their staffs shared during World
War II. When the United States entered the war in 1941, every
flag officer in the U.S. Navy, but one, was a graduate of the
Naval War College. At the same time, the “Graybook” clearly
reflects what the Naval War College had been doing in the
interwar years to prepare officers for staff duties and to educate
them to think critically when making operational decisions in
positions of high command.
From 1910 through 1942, the Naval War College had been
developing and refining a specific system for the naval
operational planning process. This approach culminated with
the College’s publication of what its students’ had called “The
Sound Military Decision clearly explained what this was all
about: The “fourth step, which calls for mental efforts in the
solution of the problem of supervising the action, requires a
constant, close observation of the unfolding of the original
situation. The procedure employed is customarily termed ‘The
Running Estimate of the Situation’. Only an alert commander
can invariably determine whether the situation is unfolding
along the lines desired by him, as promulgated in the directives
of the third step. In effect, the commander, after action is
begun, considers the changing situation as a variable in the
problem presented for his solution by the original (basic)
situation. With the march of events, he is therefore, constantly
critical to detect whether variations have introduced new
incentives which demand modification or alteration of his plan,
or its complete abandonment.
In a chapter-long discussion of this fourth supervisory step in
the operational planning process, Sound Military Decision stated
that a running estimate is “intended to keep pace with the flow
of events, so that the commander may be assured, at any time,
that his concurrent action will be based on sound decision. To
this end, there is a definite technique . . . .“ The aim of the
technique is “the rapid and successful exercise of mental effort
in the fast moving events of the tactical engagement. It is under
such conditions, more especially, that effective supervision of
the planned action becomes a problem, calling for every facility
that can be afforded the commander.”
The technique here was to assemble in writing all the
information bearing on the operational situation and to
organize it in a readily usable fashion. Among alternative
approaches, Sound Military Decision recommended the use of
a journal of events backed up by a file supporting it that would
serve as aids to the commander’s continuing mental, decisionmaking process. This process was normally accompanied by a
work sheet to assist the staff in organizing the journal, but the
work sheets were normally to be destroyed, as the journal
formed the permanent record.
Continued on next page…
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 13
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NIMITZ GRAYBOOK CONT…
The “Graybook” and the CINCPAC-CINCPOA staff, prior to
World War II, naval staffs had a degree of uniformity
in organization
and composition, based on Navy
Regulations,
personnel allowances, the particular requirements of a
command and its commander, and evolving naval practice.
During the war, the problem of how to best organize a staff was
at one time an assigned topic for a Naval War College student
thesis, and the topic of many articles in the Naval Institute
Proceedings. Each major naval staff had its differences from the
others and there was initially little standardization. The war
created many changes to the U.S Navy’s approach to staff
organization with a gradual standardization becoming apparent
and the separation of administrative staffs from operational
staffs, with large operational staffs moving ashore.
The “Graybook” shows some evolution due to changing staff
members, but the basic organization is followed throughout
the document. For every day of the war, there is a running
summary of events that was originally classified Top Secret.
This is followed by various supporting documents. Among
them are occasional “briefed estimates of the situation” that
provide alternative courses of action, with advantages and
disadvantages as well as operation plans.
At the same time, the experience of the Second World War
gradually influenced the Navy into adopting some of the
features of the Army’s General Staff system as part of the
standardization process.
The staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific and Pacific Ocean
Area (CINCPAC-CINCPOA) under Nimitz and located at
Pearl Harbor, went through a number of changes. In September
1943, for example, there were three separate, interrelated
staffs— Fleet, Army, and Joint, each with five sections. In May
1944, the Fleet and Army staffs disappeared and all were
combined into one Joint staff.
The “Graybook” covers the period from 7 December 1941 to
31 August 1945. The first three weeks that it covers pre-date
Nimitz’s arrival and serve to document the running estimate of
the situation under his predecessors, Admiral Husband Kimmel
from 7 to 17 December and Vice Admiral William S. Pye, the
acting Commander in Chief, from 17 December to 31
December, when Nimitz took command. The volume ends in
late August 1945 with the surrender of Japanese forces. The
document remained classified until 1972.
This document appears to have been maintained by the Naval
Staff’s plans division (designated as N-1, later J-1). Even when
the CINCPAC-CINCPOA staff became a Joint Staff, the J-1
section was headed by a naval officer. The officers in charge of
the planning section were Captain Charles H. McMorris until
March 1942, Captain Lynde D. McCormick (the future first
Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, and later a Naval War
College President) from March 1942 to 14 January 1943,
Captain James M. Steele from January 1943 to January 1944,
and Rear Admiral Forrest P. Sherman, the deputy chief of staff
from 9 January 1944 until the end of the war. McMorris and
McCormick were classmates in the Senior Class at the Naval
War College in 1938. Steele graduated with the Senior Class of
1939 and stayed on as a faculty member in the College’s
Intelligence Department until June of 1941. Forrest Sherman, a
future Chief of Naval Operations, had been a student at the
Naval War College in 1927 when Raymond Spruance was also
a student.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
Some of the pages are color-coded. At first, the pages are on
white paper, and interspersed occasionally with sheets of green
paper that included directives and operational messages
affecting the situation that were originally classified as secret.
From May 1942, one begins to find pink pages that provide
further information at very high classifications, to and from
Admiral King, and some involving allied forces. From January
1945, one begins to find yellow pages which are marked
“Nimitz Only”.
The Story of the “Graybook’s” Digitization, A number of
historians have used the “Graybook” in their research. Among
them, E.B. Potter lists it among his sources in his 1976
biography of Nimitz. John Lundstrom used it extensively for
his study of Vice-Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, and Craig
Symonds used it for his work on Midway.
Continued on next page…
PAGE 14
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NIMITZ GRAYBOOK CONT….
NAVAL HISTORY ESSAY CONTEST
Professor Douglas V. Smith, former head of the Strategy and
Policy section of the Naval War College’s College of Distance
Education (CDE)
became aware of the “Graybook”
during his
graduate work at Florida State University and in teaching a Naval
War College elective course on World War II.
Recognizing the value of this document for research and for
teaching at the Naval War College, Smith discussed the prospect
of finding funding for the digitization of the document with Rear
Admiral Roger Nolan, then the executive director of the Naval
War College Foundation. The Naval War College Foundation
took up the suggestion to look for possible funding. In 2008,
Smith—who was then the commander of the Newport
Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States and has
since become Historian-General of the Naval Order—interested
the Naval Order in the project as part of their mission to
promote naval heritage. The Naval Order donated $5,000 to the
Naval War College Foundation, while 46 members of the Naval
War College Foundation donated additional funds to make a
total of $10,535.
and scanned by hand one page at a time in an environmentally
controlled room. The results of this effort transformed the nearly
inaccessible and fragile “Graybook” into a digitally preserved
naval cultural document now available to researchers worldwide.
Rear Admiral Ted Carter, Jr., President of the Naval War College,
recently noted: “The Nimitz “Graybook” has been hidden from
the general public for nearly seven decades, first because of its
formal military security classification (until 1972), and then due to
its restricted availability to only those serious researchers who
could travel to Washington, DC, to visit the Navy History and
Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard.
To greatly improve this situation, on February 24, 2014, a
dedicated team at the Naval War College opened the door on this
historical treasure to historians and naval enthusiasts around the
globe through the release of the "Digital Graybook."
He went on to state: "This project is in keeping the Naval War
College's long-term commitment to preserving and sharing the
full-range of historical resources to the widest possible audience."
It can now be accessed on line through the College’s website
http://usnwc.edu/archives.
In the Spring of 2009, the Naval War College Foundation
worked with the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington,
D.C, to scan the “Graybook”. The first estimates indicated that it
Dr. John B. Hattendorf is the Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime
would be too expensive to digitize the original copies, as the
History at the Naval War College as well as Chairman, Maritime
books would have to be disbound at great cost. Soon, a more
History Department, and Director, Naval War College Museum.
cost-effective method was found in scanning the loose carbon
copies of the document rather than the original bound copies.
Submitted by Doug Smith
This was completed in 2009 at reasonable cost. The scans were
put on a CD that was distributed widely. The American Naval
Records Society posted it on its website at navalrecords.org.
2014 Naval History
Essay Contest
Usage showed that there were serious drawbacks with the scan.
First, the copies did not reproduce the different color-coded
papers in the original manuscript and, second, many copies were
too blurry to use with searchable text. A high resolution digital
facsimile was needed to capture all the markings on each page,
the different colors of paper, and handwritten marginalia. A new
copy was needed to support browsing, full text and key word
searching to maximize its research value. Making the “Graybook”
searchable was especially challenging because many of the pages
contain tabular and other heavily formatted text.
Fortunately, the Naval War College Foundation, now headed by
Captain John Odegaard, USN (ret.), had some $10,000 still
available after its first effort. At that point, the Naval War
College Library, headed by Dr. Allen Benson hired a Providence,
Rhode Island, firm, The Digital Ark Corporation, to create a
high-resolution archival master file consistently and accurately
rendering all of the manuscript’s fine detail with no distortions.
Under the direction of the Library’s Naval Historical Collection
archivist, Dr. Evelyn Cherpak, and the Digital Initiatives
Librarian, Sue Cornacchia, the Naval History and Heritage
Command team in Washington, headed by Mrs. Joyce Conyers,
shipped the eight volumes of the original copies to The Digital
Ark, where the documents were carefully disbound
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
The Challenge
Leaders in Action: Ordinary
People Doing the
Extraordinary
About the Naval History
Essay Contest
The Essay Contest is aligned with the 2014 Naval History
Conference and the conference’s specific Focus. The
Conference will trace historical examples of heroism as well as
modern accounts of courage, perseverance and drive. The Essay
Contest will draw from history to inform the present and future.
Entrants are invited to submit an essay, in essence a case study,
on a leader in action, an individual now deceased from one of the
Sea Services, an ordinary individual who did the extraordinary.
The essay should address how that individual’s historical, heroic
role served the Nation and, if appropriate, the international
community, and how that individual’s role informs current and
future leaders.
PAGE 15
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NAVAL HISTORY
Captain Samuel Nicholson – From the
Continental Navy to “Old Ironsides
by Dr. J. Phillip London
One of the most famous ships
in American naval history –
the nation’s Ship of State and
Honorary Flagship of the
Naval Order – sits quietly just
north of downtown Boston in
Charlestown Navy Yard.
Nicknamed “Old Ironsides”
because cannon balls glanced
off her thick hull, the USS
Constitution defeated four
British frigates during the War
of 1812. Yet long before her
pivotal victory, Constitution and
her first captain, Captain
Samuel Nicholson, were
already part of the United States’ naval heritage.
In October 1775, the Continental Congress established a small
naval force to offset Britain’s uncontested sea power. This
force became the Continental Navy and among its first officers
was Captain Samuel Nicholson. Born to a prominent Maryland
family, Nicholson was captain of his own ship engaged in trade
with England. In December 1776, Nicholson received a
commission in the new navy from the Continental Congress
while coincidentally visiting Benjamin Franklin, one of the
American Commissioners in Paris, for the same appointment.
Over the next several years, Nicholson conducted Continental
Navy affairs in Northeastern France, including acquiring and
commanding the cutter, Dolphin (1777) and the frigate, Deane
(1778-1782). Nicholson captured numerous prizes around
France and the British Isles with both ships.
Over the course of the Revolutionary War, the Continental
Navy fleet sailed some fifty armed vessels that captured nearly
200 British prizes and much needed enemy supplies, carried
correspondence and diplomats, and helped bring the French
into the war. The Navy also contributed to distracting the
British who had to divert warships to protect convoys and
trade routes. Without control of the Atlantic, it was difficult
for the British to transport and sustain a large army in America.
Sea power had proven pivotal to winning the war.
court-martial in 1783. Nonetheless, Nicholson was relieved of his
command. By August 1785, the Continental Congress auctioned
off the last remaining navy vessel, shutting down the Continental
Navy for good. The men of the Continental Navy transitioned to
civilian life, like Samuel Nicholson, while others stayed at sea on
private ships and in foreign navies, such as John Paul Jones who
briefly served in the Imperial Russian Navy.
In the early 1790s, the need for a naval force arose as American
merchant fleets had no protection from attacks by Algerian
(Barbary) pirates and harassment by British and French forces.
The Continental Congress passed the Naval Armament Act of
1794 calling for the construction of six frigates. Samuel Nicholson
also returned to service in 1794 and was appointed a captain—
and the second highest ranking officer—in the newly reorganized
U.S. Navy. Nicholson’s first assignment was as superintendent for
the construction of the frigate Constitution in Boston Harbor. It
would take four years for the ship to be built. Paul Revere’s brass
and iron foundry produced many of its brass fittings. George
Washington, who had ordered the ships and given Constitution her
name, also signed Nicholson’s commission as her captain.
Constitution was finally launched on October 21, 1797. Nine
months later, on July 22, 1798, Nicholson, as captain and first
commanding officer, took Constitution out of Boston Harbor for
her maiden voyage. The ship’s historic first cruise off the Atlantic
coast was beset with problems, including personal tragedy when
Nicholson’s son, Samuel Jr., died serving under his command at
sea. Nicholson’s next cruise on Constitution was in 1799 under
Captain John Barry in his flagship frigate United States, protecting
U.S. ships from French privateers in the West Indies. Nicholson’s
second cruise proved to be more difficult and marked the end of
Nicholson’s career at sea. After a brief stay in Boston harbor,
Constitution went back out to sea under a new captain, Silas Talbot.
However, as peace between the United States and France
approached, there became little need for the Constitution to sail
further patrols. The squadron with which the Constitution sailed
was ordered back to the United States and Constitution was placed
in ordinary in Boston harbor in July 1802.
As important as the Continental Navy had been, it began to
decline around 1779. There were fewer ships, mainly
patrolling the Eastern shore and West Indies. Samuel
Nicholson also returned to the United States in 1779 on the
Deane. Over the next few years, Nicholson patrolled the
Delaware coast and sailed to West Indies. Nicholson would
also be tried twice for allegedly mistreating an insubordinate
junior officer. The first court of enquiry in 1781 was
invalidated and Nicholson was honorably acquitted at a valid
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 16
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NAVAL HISTORY CONT…
10TH MARITIME HERITAGE CONFERENCE
Both Constitution and Nicholson would not be out of
commission for long. As the Barbary States grew increasingly
hostile to American
merchant ships in the Mediterranean,
Constitution was
recommissioned in May 1803. Between 1803
and 1807, Constitution engaged Barbary ships outside Tripoli
and Tunis, and later observed naval operations during the
Napoleonic Wars. From 1808 until 1811, Constitution spent
most of her time on training runs and ordinary duty. Nicholson
was also retained in 1803 to serve as the first superintendent of
the Charlestown Naval Yard outside Boston. Nicholson served
in this role until his death on December 29, 1811, in
Charlestown, Massachusetts. At the time of his death,
Nicholson was the senior officer in the U.S. Navy.
The National
Maritime
Alliance
extended an
invitation to the
Naval Order to
participate in
the 10th
Maritime
Heritage
Conference
hosted by the
“Nauticus”
naval museum
complex in
downtown
Norfolk,
Virginia. The
conference is
to be held from
17-21 September 2014 and will include several other maritime
heritage organizations such as the Historic Naval Ships
Association and the Naval Historical Foundation. It is the
largest gathering of maritime heritage organizations in the U.S..
For those wishing to attend from out of the Norfolk area, the
Norfolk Marriott Waterside is the conference hotel at a
negotiated rate of $99 per night.
While the Declaration of Independence had staked America’s
claim as a free country, the USS Constitution victory during the
War of 1812 officially established her authority as a nation.
And thanks to Captain Samuel Nicholson and the rest of the
Continental Navy, America staked her authority at sea.
Dr. J. Phillip London is Chairman of the Board of CACI
International. London is a 1959 graduate of the U.S. Naval
Academy and Captain, USN (Ret.). He was the 2013 recipient
of the Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award from the
Naval Order of the United States.
Of note, the U. S. Navy’s Hampton Roads Naval Museum is
located on the second floor of Nauticus and guided topside
tours of the decommissioned battleship, USS Wisconsin (BB64), berthed at Nauticus, are available to the public. A link to
the conference website for registration and other data is as
follows: www.seahistory.org/10th-maritime-heritageconference .
Companion Dr. William S. Dudley, the U.S. Navy’s former
Director of Naval History as well as our former Historian
General, is arranging for a Naval Order session at the Maritime
Heritage Conference entitled The Battle of Leyte Gulf:
Looking Back 70 Years – a battle that one historian has called
“the greatest naval encounter in world history.” Presenters, all
Companions of the Naval Order, will be as follow: LCDR
Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.), the Director of Professional
Publications, Naval Institute Press; Dr. David A. Rosenberg,
PhD, author and member of the Institute of Defense Analysis;
and Dr. Edward J. Marolda, PhD, author and Senior Historian
and former Acting Director, Naval Historical Center (Navy
History and Heritage Command). The Hampton Roads and
National Capitol Commanderies plan to assist as needed.
Dr. Bill Dudley and Vance Morrison
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 17
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
NOTES FROM THE SICK BAY
Hospital Corps History, Part 2 (Creation and
Evolution
of the Hospital Corps, 1898-1927)
physiology, bandaging, nursing, first aid, pharmacy, clerical
work, and military drill. The first class of 28 corpsmen was
graduated on December 15, 1902. Hospital Apprentice Max
Previously, this column described the Armstrong, at the top of the alphabetical list of graduates, was
early history of the Navy’s enlisted naturally given his diploma first and has been heralded as the
medical personnel – the loblolly boys, Navy’s first graduate hospital corpsman.
baymen, and apothecaries who served
The school continued for a brief time and was then moved to
with little or no formal medical
the Naval Hospital in Washington, DC, staying in existence
education other than dubious on-thethere until 1911. (Note: This is the facility described earlier in
job training. In this edition, we pick up
my first column “Washington’s Other Naval Hospital”). For the
with the Navy’s recognition that the
next three years there was no basic school for corpsmen, but
corpsmen’s duties and responsibilities
the concept was revived in 1914. The next two Hospital Corps
had evolved to the point that more
Training Schools were opened in Newport, RI and on Yerba
formalized and standardized preparation
Buena Island, CA.
was necessary.
Development of the Navy’s hospital corps training courses
Arguments for a professional, well-trained group of individuals to would prepare the first generation of hospital corpsmen for
provide medical care for the Navy finally paid off in 1898.
arduous duty, both in peace and war. A graduate of the Hospital
Unfortunately, it took the imminent danger of combat in the
Corps School’s sixth class, Hospital Steward William Shacklette,
Spanish-American War to spur Congress into action. Within a bill would find himself aboard the USS Bennington in San Diego
aimed at building the armed forces was a section to provide for
harbor on 21 July 1905. When the ship’s boiler exploded,
the Navy’s long-needed Hospital Corps. The bill was approved by Shacklette was burned along with almost half the crew; the
President William McKinley on June 17, 1898. From that date to
other half were killed outright. He rescued and treated
the present, either generically or by rating title, medical Sailors
numerous of his shipmates and was awarded the Medal of
have been called “hospital corpsmen.”
Honor for his bravery. Another young corpsman, Hospital
Apprentice First Class William Zuiderveld of Michigan, landed
The corps would again change its rate titles. The hospital
at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914 as part of a force of Navy and
apprentice would be the equivalent of an apprentice seaman, the
Marine Corps personnel. During intense street fighting in which
hospital apprentice first class was a third class petty officer, and
he was wounded himself, Zuiderveld, a graduate of the 16th
the hospital steward was a chief petty officer. Pharmacists became class of the School of Instruction, risked his life on several
warrant officers, the first of a line of commissioned hospital
occasions to aid wounded shipmates. He, too, received the
corpsmen that continued until the establishment of the Medical
Medal of Honor.
Service Corps following World War II.
The early history of the corps set a pace of conspicuous service
and involvement that would continue to the present. Before there
was even a hospital corps school, Hospital Apprentice Robert
Stanley was serving with the U.S. contingent at Peking. Actions by
a Chinese political group that was opposed to foreign presence in
China, the so-called Boxers, prompted attacks on foreign
embassies in July 1900. During this action, Hospital Apprentice
Stanley volunteered for the dangerous mission of running message
dispatches under fire. For his bravery, Stanley became the first in a
long line of hospital corpsmen to receive the Medal of Honor.
In order to ensure that the members of the new Hospital Corps
were adequately trained in the disciplines pertinent to both
medicine and to the Navy, a basic school for corpsmen was
established at the U. S. Naval Hospital Norfolk (Portsmouth), VA.
Originally called the School of Instruction, it opened on
September 2, 1902. Its curriculum included anatomy and
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
A hospital steward (chief petty officer) and two hospital apprentices from a
ship’s landing party medical section, 1905.
In next issue’s Sick Bay: “Hospital Corps: Hospital Apprentices
and Pharmacists Mates
PAGE 18
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
SCULPTURE TWINS
Fleet Admiral Nimitz Sculpture Now Twins
A new statue of Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz is now
located at the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Fredericksburg community members and elected officials attended the unveiling
of a historic Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz statue at the National Museum of the
Pacific War, Admiral Nimitz Museum complex. The group, from left to right,
includes: Joe Cavanaugh, Museum Director; Kent Myers, Fredericksburg City
Manager; the Hon. Lamar Smith, U.S. Congressman; Joe Schuck, Nimitz family
member; Helen McDonald, Museum Program Director, Gen. Michael Hagee,
USMC (Ret.) President and CEO, Admiral Nimitz Foundation; Dr. Craig
Symonds, Nimitz biographer; Jeryl Hoover, Fredericksburg Mayor; and Case
Fischer, Chairman, Admiral Nimitz Foundation.
On February 7, 2014 the Admiral Nimitz Foundation presented
Fredericksburg residents with a statue of hometown hero Fleet
Admiral Nimitz during an unveiling ceremony at the Admiral
Nimitz Museum and National Museum of the Pacific War
complex. General Michael Hagee, USMC (Ret.), former
Commandant of the Marine Corps and presently president and
chief executive officer of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation
presided over the ceremony. Dr. Craig Symonds, Ph.D., Nimitz
biographer at the Naval Institute provided the keynote address
and spoke of the significance of Admiral Nimitz’ impact on the
war in the Pacific during WWII. Among other speakers were Mr.
Jeryl Hoover, mayor of Fredericksburg; the Honorable Lamar
Smith, U.S. Congressman, 21st Congressional District of Texas.
One of only two in the world, this bronze 8 ft. statue was
commissioned by the Naval Order of the United States and
sculpted by world-renowned artist-sculptor Rip Caswell of
Troutdale, Oregon. The statue is located in the courtyard next to
the Admiral Nimitz Museum and the National Museum of the
Pacific War. The sculpture faces west, symbolizing how Nimitz
achieved greatness to the west from his humble beginnings
in Fredericksburg.
to honor all of the people who served and sacrificed during the
war in the Pacific. As the leader of all of the allies that fought in
and supported that war, it seemed appropriate that Fleet
Admiral Nimitz should be the one to represent them. The
sculpture and accompanied informational plaques and markers
are considered to be proper symbols and tangible ways in which
to convey respect for all who served.
The first statue of Fleet Admiral Nimitz is located on Ford
Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii at the causeway leading to the USS
Missouri Memorial Museum. It was unveiled at a dedication
ceremony held on September 2, 2013. The Master of Ceremony
was Mr. Michael A. Carr, President and COO of the USS
Missouri Memorial. Speakers included Admiral Cecil Haney,
USN, Commander Pacific Fleet; The Honorable Gordon
England, former Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary
of Defense; Admiral Thomas Fargo, USN (Ret.) former
Commander Pacific Fleet; RADM Douglas M. Moore, Jr. SC,
USN (Ret.), then Commander General of the Naval Order of
the United States; Captain Vance H. Morrison, USN (Ret.), then
Commander General Elect of the Naval Order and President of
the Naval Order Foundation; Mr. Chester Nimitz Lay and Mr.
Richard Freeman Lay, grandsons of Catherine F. and Chester
W. Nimitz; Mr. Jeff Harding, Naval Historian; and Captain
Michael A. Lilly, USNR (Ret.), Member of the Board of
Directors, USS Missouri Memorial Association.
Chester William Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, Texas in
1885, one block from the Admiral Nimitz Museum. Chester W.
Nimitz served our nation from the time he entered the United
States Naval Academy at the age of 16 until his death in 1966.
He is buried in the National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
He was a central figure throughout WWII from his arrival in
Hawaii on December 24, 1941 to his historic role on September
2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63), in Tokyo Bay, where
he signed the Instrument of Surrender at the surrender
ceremony on behalf of the United States of America. President
Harry Truman designated Admiral Nimitz to be the signatory
for the United States. Admiral Nimitz had dual command
throughout the war as Commander in Chief, United States
Pacific Fleet and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas. He
was in command of the greatest number of people, ships,
aircraft and all aspect of the war over the largest geographical
area in world history. He had complete overall responsibility for
the War in the Pacific. Journalists wrote that “Admiral Nimitz is
the Pacific War’s essential man”.
Submitted by CAPT Al Serafini (SC), USN(Ret)
The members of the Naval Order of the United States wanted
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 19
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
TRIBUTE TO TOMMY LEMACKS
I’ll always remember that Tommy left a wide and warm wake
wherever he steamed. Engaging and so affable, he never met
wasn’t instantly a friend. The title “Companion”
someone who
described him perfectly, and of all the many societies, hereditary
groups, and social clubs to which he belonged (and some which
he founded), it was the Naval Order that gave him great joy and
energy. The Naval Order trifold was an integral part of his daily
outfit, and he seldom went anywhere without a pocket full of
them—whatever the occasion, he was always “on a mission.”
Tommy was supremely proud of his naval service, and
frequently conversed with and visited a tightly-knit group of
fellow sailors who served with him at NSA DaNang, Vietnam.
The fellowship he enjoyed with them inspired him to begin the
organizing of the Charleston Commandery, and his recruiting
success grew the Charleston ranks quickly. The Charter
Ceremony and the recent National Congress were two life
events of which he was most proud.
We’ll always miss his smile, his warm greeting, and his generous,
unflagging spirit. Fair winds and following seas, friend!
Tommy was born
February 17, 1945,
in Charleston, SC,
son of the late
Isaac Middleton
LeMacks and Alice
Thomas LeMacks.
He attended The
Citadel and was a
graduate of The
Baptist College.
Tommy
served in the United
States Navy during
the Vietnam War.
He was a member
February 17, 1945
April 23, 2014
of the Washington
Light Infantry, the Society of Colonial Wars, The Arion
Society, Sumter Guards, Deutche Brudeliche Bund, St. David's
Society, Carolina Yacht Club, the Naval Order of the United
States where he served as the Commander of the Charleston
Commandery. Tommy was a member of The French
Huguenot Church.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
IN MEMORIAM
Mr. John J. Bailey (Certificate #4339)
Illinois Commandery
Joined March 20, 1965
April 7, 2014
RADM Jeremiah A. Denton (Certificate #8501)
New Orleans Commandery
Joined September 29, 2005
March 28, 2014
STS2 James (Jim ) Hester, USN
Monterey Bay Commandery
Joined June 5, 2005
May 26 2014
Mrs. Lorraine D. Hughey (Certificate #7595)
San Francisco Commandery
Joined December 1, 1997
February 5, 2014
CAPT Shepherd M. Jenks, USN (Ret) (Certificate # 7928)
San Francisco Commandery
Joined May 1, 2000
March 26, 2014
Mr. Thomas M. LeMacks (Certificate # 8982)
Charleston Commandery
Joined April 2, 2010
April 23, 2014
Mr. Frederick Miller McCahey (Certificate #5537)
Illinois Commandery
Joined 3 January 1983
3 April 2014
LT Julian K. Morrison, III, USN (Ret) (Certificate # 7609)
Florida First Coast Commandery
Joined January 8, 1998
March 19, 2014
LCDR Edward John Murtaugh, USN (Ret) (Certificate #8008)
Newport Commandery
Joined March 26, 2001
January 3, 2014
STC Howard L. Snell, USN (Ret) (Certificate # 8013)
Texas Commandery
Joined March 22, 2001
January 14, 2014
PAGE 20
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
2014 NOUS CONGRESS – UPDATE AND TEAR OUT TOUR REGISTRATION FORM
As we head into the final stages of Congress preparation, rest
assured, Newport is ready for you! We have received numerous
requests as to unique places to visit while in Newport, enthusiasm
Commandery team
is high, tour guides are prepared and your host
is ready.
One item to be made aware of is the unannounced closure of the
company offering the shuttle service from and to T.F. Green
Airport as originally published; Cozy Cab. This company had been
in business many years and still remains but they no longer offer
shuttle service.
The following pertains to your best choice of connection between
T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, RI (AKA Providence) and
Newport.
Orange Shuttle - (401) 841-0020, www.newportshuttle.com
$25.00 one way. Approximately a 45 minute ride.
Orange Cab Office
3:30am 3:00pm
6:00am 4:00pm
8:30am 5:30pm
10:00am 6:30pm
T.F. Green Airport
5:00am 4:30pm
7:30am 5:30pm
10:00am7:00pm
11:30am8:00pm
11:00am 8:00pm
12:30pm 9:00pm
1:30pm 10:30pm
12:30pm 9:30pm
2:00pm 10:30pm
3:00pm 12:00am
NOUS 2014 Annual Congress - Naval War College and
Museum Tour, Naval Station Newport Clearance
Information - Newport, Rhode Island - 31 October 2014
Companion’s Last
Name____________________________________________
First
Name___________________________________________
Middle
Name____________________________________________
Social Security
Number__________________________________________
Date of Birth
(Month/Day/Year) _________________________________
Spouse/Guest Last
Name____________________________________________
First
Name____________________________________________
Middle
Name____________________________________________
Social Security
Number__________________________________________
Date of Birth
Month/Day/Year__________________________________
Please note that, except for persons with valid
United States uniformed services (active duty or
retired) identification, all visitors must have
completed and submitted this form in advance and
The Honorable John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy will be
must produce two forms of photo identification at
in town to accept the Admiral of the Navy, George Dewey Award
the gate, or they will not be admitted to Naval
at a luncheon on Friday, 31 October and General James Mattis,
Station Newport.
USMC, will be presented the Distinguished Sea Service Award at
the banquet on Saturday, 1 November.
AUTHORITY: Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552(A)(7)),
10 U.S.C. §301, Department Regulation and Executive
Order 9397.
PURPOSE: To gather personal information and verify the
identity of individuals requesting access to Department of
Defense (DOD) installations.
ROUTINE USES: The information is used for the purpose set
forth above and may be: *Used to conduct a complete
background check *Forwarded to Federal, State, or local law
enforcement agencies for their use, when determined
necessary and *Used as a basis for summaries, briefings, or
As of this writing, we are trying to offer an event onboard the new responses to other agencies in the Executive Branch of the
200ft, steel hull, SSV OLIVER HAZARD PERRY that has been
Federal Government.
under construction for over a year and plans to be commissioned in DISCLOSURE: Voluntary, not adverse action can be taken
July, 2014. The event is tentative but we are optimistic that we will against individuals for refusing to provide information about
be able to offer it during your visit.
them. However, falsification of information or failure to
provide all the requested information could lead to rejection
Please get your registrations in to avoid the last minute rush and to of application.
save a little cost associated with late registrations. We are at
approximately one third of the anticipated attendance and the
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM WITH YOUR
rooms will go quickly henceforth.
CONGRESS REGISTRATION FORM IN ORDER THAT
WE CAN PROVIDE THE NAVAL STATION SECURITY
See you soon, George Wardwell DEPARTMENT A LIST OF ATTENDEES.
The majority of those companions that have already registered will
be arriving on 28 October and departing on 2 November. Some
have chosen to extend their stay to enjoy the City by the Sea to the
maximum, especially those who have not traveled here since the
days of Officer Candidate School in the early 60’s. For your
convenience, the Convention and Visitors Bureau operates from
the building almost adjacent to the Marriott Hotel and they are a
great bunch of volunteers that will guide you for additional
opportunities for touring.
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 21
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
2014 NOUS CONGRESS – TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
TUESDAY 10/28
1415 – 1700:
General Session reconvenes
Administrative remarks by Congress Host
Newport, the Navy and the Naval War
College: An illustrated Historical overview
Professor John Hattendorf
BREAK
The War of 181
Professor Kevin McCranie
BREAK
Optional Tour #3 Scenic Overview Tour
“Rhode Island’s Naval Hero: Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry and the War of 1812”,
Stanley Carpenter
BREAK
“Capt. Cook’s Ships in Rhode Island: The
Smallest State with the Largest Number of
Ships Associated with the Royal Navy Officer
Who Explored More of the World than
Anyone in History”
Dr. D. K. Abbass, Ph.D., Director, RI
Marine Archaeology Project
Admiral of the Navy, George Dewey Award
Luncheon
Speaker: TBA
Tour of Naval War College Museum
1800 – 1930:
Hospitality Suite
1800 – 1930:
Optional Tour #2 - Spouses Mansion Tour
General Session –
Opening Ceremonies
CG calls 2014 Congress to order
Presentation of the Colors, National Anthem
and Invocation
Tolling of the Bell for Companions deceased
since last Congress
Administrative remarks by Congress Host
Credentials Committee Report
Commander General’s Report
Recorder General’s Report
Membership Report
Registrar General’s Report
BREAK
National Investment Committee Report
National Finance Committee Report
Financial Review/Audit Committee Report
National Awards Committee Report
Site Committee Report
President Naval Order Foundation Report
Commander General’s Welcoming Reception
2100 – 2300:
Hospitality Suite
1830 - 1930:
1930 – 2200:
1400 – 1800
0830 – 0900:
Courtesy Early Registration
0900 – 0945:
Registration Desk/Greeters
0945 – 1000
1000 – 1045:
WEDNESDAY 10/29
0900 – 1800
Luncheon individually arranged
1300 – 1400:
1400 – 1500:
1500 -- 1600:
1600 – 1700:
1500 – 1630
1800 – 1930:
Investment Committee
Finance Committee
Membership/Retention/Commandery
Support/Development Committees
Site Committee
Tour Surface Warfare Officers School
Hospitality Suite
1045 – 1100:
1030 – 1200:
1100 - 1145:
1145 – 1200
1200 – 1230:
Dinner individually arranged
2100 – 2300:
Hospitality Suite
THURSDAY 10/30
0900 – 1800:
0730 – 0930:
0930 – 1130:
1000 -- 1130
Registration Desk
General Council
Naval Order Foundation Board
Optional Tour #1 - Newport Historical Society
Walking Tour
Luncheon individually arranged
0930 – 1230:
1300 – 1325:
1325 – 1330:
1330 – 1515:
1515 – 1530:
1530 – 1630:
Dinner individually arranged
FRIDAY 10/31
0730 – 0830:
Continental Breakfast
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
1245 – 1400:
Dinner individually arranged
SATURDAY 11/1
0730 – 0830:
0830 – 0845:
0900 – 0945:
0945 – 1030:
1030 – 1045:
1045 – 1130:
1200 – 1330:
1345 – 1500:
2200:
2230 – 2400:
PAGE 22
Continental Breakfast
General Session Reconvenes
Administrative remarks by Congress Host
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz-Newport’s
influence on him and other important leaders
in preparation for the battle in The Pacific
Mr. Chester Lay, Grandson of
Admiral Nimitz
“Slave Trade and Privateers in Colonial Rhode
Island”
Mr. Keith Stokes
BREAK
Ancient Naval History
Professor Michael Pavkovic
LCDR Lee Douglas Award Luncheon
Speaker: Dewey Awardee
“A Strategic view of the future of the Navy in
Newport”
Admiral James Hogg, USN Ret.
Cocktail reception/light hors d’oeuvres
Distinguished Sea Service Award Banquet
Speaker: DSSA Awardee
Congress officially concludes
Hospitality Suite
WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG
2014 NOUS CONGRESS – TEAR OUT REGISTRATION FORM
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
PAGE 23
WW.NAVALORDER.ORG
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Norfolk, Virginia
Permit No. 175
Naval Order of the United States
Founded on Independence Day, 1890
NOUS Registrar General
P.O. Box 15039
Arlington, VA 22215-5039
NavalOrder.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
To order from The Ship’s Store current inventory, cut out this form and mail it with a delivery AND email address and check payable to ‘Naval Order of U.S.’
to CDR Cotton Talbott, USN, Ret. 1357 Park Drive Manderville, LA 70471. You may also fax this form to 985.626.4073.
For further information or questions, please contact Cotton Talbott at [email protected] or 985.626.4073.
Authorized for all Companions
Quantity
Price
Amount
The Naval Order Cross (Large)
The Naval Order Cross (Miniature)
Campaign Ribbon
Naval Order Rosette lapel pin
Naval Order Cross Lapel Pin (NEW ITEM)
Naval Order Tie, Silk
Naval Order Tie Bar
Naval Order Cufflink Set
Naval Order Blazer Patch
Naval Order Flag (3’x5’) two sides
Naval Order Banner (3’x5’) one side
Naval Order Burgee (12”x18”) one side
NOUS Baseball Caps – plain bill
- NOUS Ball Cap ‘eggs’ 05/06
- NOUS Ball Cap ‘eggs’ Flag Officer
Pima Cotton Golf Shirt XXL
NOUS Golf Shirt – black, white, navy – specify size S M L XL XXL
NOUS Golf Shirt, polyester, light blue - Close out, $22 dollars, shipping included
‘Navy Heroes of Normandy’ DVD
Challenge Coin (commemorating 100 years of Naval Aviation)
Authorized for past and present National Officers and Commandery Commanders Only*
*Naval Order Blazer Patch with Crest
*Neck Ribbon for Large Medal (worn with formal attire only)
Please add Postage/Shipping to your order
Totals
SUMMER 2014 ● VOL. XXIV, NO. 7
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$35
$25
$5
$15
$10
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$8
$15
$20
$85
$50
$15
$14
$15
$16
$40
$38
$22
$5
$5
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$25
$15
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$6
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WWW.NAVALORDER.ORG